Comedy sketches featuring John Cleese, Graham Chapman, Marty Feldman and Frankie Howerd have come to light after being missing for over 40 years.

The black & white footage, which dates from the 1960s, was handed over to the British Film Institute as part of its ongoing campaign to plug gaps in the British TV archives.

Dick Fiddy, TV consultant at the BFI, says that a private collector is to thank for the recovery of a missing edition of At Last The 1948 Show (pictured), one of the sketch shows that lead almost directly to the creation of Monty Python's Flying Circus; and also for the recovery of an absent episode of Frankie Howerd, the stand-up, sketch show and sitcom vehicle for its namesake star.
LINL